The Aesthetic Aha: On the pleasure of having insights into Gestalt

•We compare changes in appreciation of stimuli with the timing of perceptual insights.•Insights into perceptual Gestalt have a major impact on liking.•Appreciation of a stimulus increases directly after a perceptual insight.•Appreciation of a stimulus increases in accordance with the intensity of the insight.

Are challenging stimuli appreciated due to perceptual insights during elaboration? Drawing on the literature regarding aesthetic appreciation, several approaches can be identified. For instance, fluency of processing as well as perceptual challenge are supposed to increase appreciation: One group (Reber, Schwarz, & Winkielman, 2004) claims that fluency of processing increases appreciation. Others link aesthetics to engagement: Creation and manipulation of sense itself should be rewarding (Ramachandran & Hirstein, 1999). We experimentally tested the influence of insights during elaboration on liking. Pairs of stimuli – hardly detectable two-tone images including a face (Mooney face) and meaningless stimuli matched for complexity – were presented repeatedly. Having an insight as well as the intensity of the insight predicted subsequent gains in liking. This paper qualifies the role of insight (—aha!) on aesthetic appreciation through the effects of elaboration and problem-solving on understanding the processing of modern art.